1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to smoking apparatuses, such as a pipe, and more particularly to smoking pipes with blown-glass bases.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pipes are often used to smoke substances such as tobacco. Moisture from a fluid may be mixed with pipe smoke to ameliorate harshness and to impart a pleasant flavor or aroma to the smoke. So-called hookah pipes are one way in which smoke may be mixed with moisture.
A hookah pipe has a bottle which filled with fluid. The bottle of the hookah may be made of glass, such as crystal. A stem is mounted to the bottle. The stem includes a passage conveying smoke from a burner cup on top of the stem through a down tube projecting from the stem and into the fluid in the bottle. The stem is preferably made of metal. The smoke drawn through the stem is expelled from the down tube beneath the surface of the fluid and allowed to bubble up through the fluid to the surface, absorbing moisture as it rises to the fluid surface. The stem base defines an interior plenum into which smoke bubbling from the fluid surface collects. One or more smoking hoses are connected to the stem, in communication with the interior plenum. A user smokes the hookah by drawing smoke through the hose.
The bottle of a hubble-bubble is often made of blown glass. The stem of the hookah is mounted to a neck of the base, so the neck must be drawn out to a length and diameter commensurate with the dimensions of the metal stem and plenum during the glass blowing process. It may be difficult to control accurately the dimensions of the neck while the glass is being blown. Some of this variation of dimensions is attractive, and lends a unique, hand-crafted appearance to the base. Significant variations of dimensions can make coupling the stem to the neck with an air tight connection difficult. Typically a base of the stem is inserted or threaded into the neck of the bottle. The stem must fit inside the neck substantially tightly in order to prevent smoke from leaking. The longer the neck, the more likely the inner profile of the neck will vary from true roundness, and the less likely the stem will fit tightly.